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Call us sentimental, but we think the timing was just right for the sale of this heart-shape stone at Sotheby’s New York. The 5 ct. fancy orangy pink diamond went on the block just five days before Valentine’s Day. “It is very unusual to see pink diamonds cut into a heart shape,” says Robin Wright,…

Deal of the Century To commemorate 100 years of business, Ben Bridge Jeweler threw its splashiest promotion yet: the $100,000 Wedding of the Century Sweepstakes, which offered marriage-minded couples (in the 11 states where Ben Bridge stores are located) a chance to win a $100,000 wedding package complete with jewelry and a honeymoon. From Nov.…

The Thrill of Victor Soraya Cayen’s clients have taken a shine to the unique karat gold jewels of Victor Velyan, a mainstay in the Cayen Collection in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., for 10 years. They particularly like his Patina line—fine silver and 18k and 24k gold pieces heated with an aged proprietary blend of acid and metal…

Wynn-Lose Situation Los Angeles diamond dealer Diane Breitman claims a failed attempt to sell the 230 ct. Wynn Diamond has damaged her reputation and cost her $1.4 million in commission. The Wynn—set in a $1 million Cartier necklace and carrying a grade of H VS1—is owned by gaming magnate Steve Wynn. According to the complaint,…

Color-change gems lead the pack of stones seeing spikes in demand (and pricing) Sales in the U.S. gem trade are stable. However, consumers are facing increasing pressure on their discretionary spending as rising gas prices threaten to slow sales of non-essential items. To mitigate this trend, retail jewelers can take advantage of an array of…

Diego Percossi Papi has been making Sole e Luna earrings for nearly as long as he’s been making jewelry. “The sun and moon earrings are born in the late ’70s,” says the designer, who opened his small atelier in 1968 in the center of Rome. Yet he has never tired of the celestial collection: “The…

The “capital of Latin America” is the ideal setting for the AGS Conclave’s spicy speaker lineup The balmy temps and easy beach access may prove distracting to attendees at the American Gem Society International Conclave April 25–30 at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. But as a key educational and networking event for…

All those guys in your store aren’t just shopping for their significant others! They’re ready to buy some jewelry of their own. In Pam Danziger’s 2011 Jewelry Report, unveiled last July, one category practically jumped out: men’s jewelry. It was responsible for more than two-thirds of the growth in the jewelry market from 2008 to…

Lights are measured in temperature—which has nothing to do with how hot the bulb is, but rather whether there’s a warm or a cool cast to the light. The higher the number, the cooler the color. Different jewelry is flattered by different temperatures. Under the wrong light, pieces can look dull and unimpressive, but a…

New innovations in lighting put the spotlight on light-emitting diodes Lighting may not be something shoppers consciously notice, but the right light can make cases more appealing and turn browsers into buyers. LED (light-emitting diode) lights are the A-­listers of the lighting lineup. They provide a better spectrum of light than fluorescent bulbs and are…

The suite and lowdown on luxury eating, sleeping, and shopping in Sin City I’m a big believer in omens—even, or especially, the little ones. For example: I’m flying to Las Vegas on a sunny morning in late February because I have been charged with the arduous task of profiling luxury hotel, dining, and leisure options…

Our guide to the people ­making waves and ­breaking barriers in the ­business When compiling JCK’s first Power List, we kept circling back to the question: How do you define power? We decided early on that this industry was too ­sprawling and diffuse for us to rank its most powerful people on a strictly numerical…

Diamonds are forever, but their settings don’t need to be. And French socialite/Singer sewing machine heiress/fashion plate Daisy Fellowes knew that: In 1936, she commissioned Cartier to combine one of her necklaces and two mismatched bracelets into a single piece based on a collar the jeweler had made for the Maharajah of Patna. The result…

On designs, diamonds, and daredevil feats As Russell Crowe growls in the 2000 sword-and-sandal epic Gladiator: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” That maxim from Michael Beaudry’s favorite film couldn’t be more apt when it comes to his chosen career; after all, what is more everlasting than a diamond, and more timeless than…

Liloveve turns its clients into jewelers and its store into a community Brooklyn’s legendary creative scene often focuses on painting, photography, or music, but store owner Caroline Glemann had a feeling that her highly expressive neighbors would also enjoy the art of adornment. This long-held belief inspired the opening of Williamsburg’s Liloveve, a comprehensive ­jewelry…

703 Fifth Ave., New York City Four lucky couples who won a Colin Cowie Weddings contest not only got to utter “I do” at that most romantic of locations—on top of the Empire State Building—on that most romantic of days, Valentine’s Day—they also got to seal the deal with custom-designed, Facebook-approved diamond wedding bling from…

Los Angeles is known for many things—movie stars, beaches, traffic jams—but rarely for its arresting store windows. “L.A. shop owners don’t think they need to put much effort into windows because it’s not a pedestrian town,” says Danielle Wilmore, whose mid-city jewelry store, Pyrrha, is bucking that trend and catching the eye of Angelenos who…

3802 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta In the heart of Atlanta lies Buckhead, a neighborhood that has long held the reputation of being the city’s most affluent and elegant district—not to mention the Southeast’s shopping mecca. Among its more than 1,400 retail units is Tassels, a store that has long held a reputation of its own…

Take an interest in your best customers’ social media posts and they’ll return the favor It’s an old business adage that “the customer is always right.” And it’s true: In the long-term interests of your jewelry store, it doesn’t pay to pick a fight with a customer. You may win the battle, but you’ll lose…

Golden State glamour mixes with old-fashioned values at Fredric H. Rubel There’s only one thing Fredric H. Rubel Jewelers has in common with the O.C.’s ostentatious reputation: decadent diamonds. Otherwise, its two coastal California locations, Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach, are decidedly low-key and drama-free. Founded originally in San Bernardino by Fredric’s parents, Barney and…

The hot new social network may be right up the jewelry industry’s alley Given how overloaded many of us feel with Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, it’s easy (if not preferable) to ignore smaller niche sites. When choosing platforms, we may overlook services like Foursquare, Instagram, and, now, the bulletin board–style photo-sharing website, Pinterest. Such a…

The West Virginia retailer has a head for stock, an eye for ads, and a way with remodeling 1. What are your best sellers and how do you keep them selling?We have a person at our two stores dedicated to reordering. My brother David and I meet with each person to review what sold the…

In February, Tiffany unveiled its collaboration with stylist/designer Rachel Zoe. Instead of a high-profile design partnership, Zoe was commissioned to decorate the windows of Tiffany’s 5th Avenue flagship in honor of the Oscars. It was a bold bit of theatrics; but in fact, Tiffany understands that visual merchandising is key to courting customers. Finding unique…

Perhaps no other gem conjures images of royalty and romance quite like April’s birthstone. From the on-screen glitz of Marilyn Monroe to the real-life glamour of Elizabeth Taylor—whose eponymous 33.19 ct. ring was recently auctioned for $8.8 million—diamonds have long captured our imaginations and inspired new trends. ­(Jewelers saw a spike in dark diamond sales…

COMINGS AND GOINGS Ed Hrabak >>?Sterling Jewelers senior vice president of merchandising Ed Hrabak will succeed Bill Montalto as executive vice president and chief operating officer. The change will take place at the end of June, upon Montalto’s retirement after 26 years of service. >>?Michael Margolis has been appointed president of Sowind Group’s America division.…

I’m just back from another amazing trip to Hong Kong, my first to the “March show” (officially, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Hong Kong International ­Jewellery Show), held this year in February due to the early date of the Baselworld fair. As always, the show was—like Hong Kong itself—vast, crowded, and full of energy.…

I’m writing this on a plane from Zurich to London, after a five-day trip to ­Switzerland, where I attended the Baselworld fair followed by a tour of the new, impressively high-tech Omega factory in Grenchen, located inside the headquarters of the Swatch Group’s ETA subsidiary. If you sell watches, then you know ETA. It would…

1. Auctions Now this is a piece of history. The Beau Sancy, a 34.98 ct. pear-shape wonder that has been the property of no fewer than four royal families and appeared in two monarchs’ crowns, will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 15. First ­discovered in the 1500s, the stone was owned…